Google Patches Critical Security Flaws For Android

Google has released a security update for Android containing fixes for 12 vulnerabilities, five of which are rated as "critical". The most pressing critical security flaw in this latest round of patches is related to the mobile operating system's Mediaserver program, which is where the now infamous "Stagefright" bug spawned from.

The Android's Mediaserver component has proved to be problematic for Google and there have been numerous other security flaws that have been found in the past few months that tie back to the program. In Google's most recent security update, it fixes a newly found remote code execution vulnerability in Mediaserver.

According to Google:

The affected functionality is provided as a core part of the operating system and there are multiple applications that allow it to be reached with remote content, most notably MMS and browser playback of media.
The affected functionality is provided as a core part of the operating system and there are multiple applications that allow it to be reached with remote content, most notably MMS and browser playback of media.

Google is rolling out the update first to its Nexus devices over-the-air as part of its Android Security Bulletin Monthly Release process. Android handset makers have been notified so expect to see an update to your Android phone soon. The source code patches for these issues will be released to the Android Open Source project in the next few days.

You can find out more about all 12 security patches over at the Android Security Bulletin page.

Get Permalink

Trending Stories Right Now

Speculative fiction is the literature of change and discovery. But every now and then, a book comes along that changes the rules of science fiction for everybody. Certain great books inspire scores of authors to create something new. Here are 21 of the most influential science fiction and fantasy books.

Some grammar mistakes manage to trip up the vast majority of writers. Take "affect" and "effect" -- no matter how many times this grammar rule is explained to people, many writers continue to mix them up. If you're regularly tripped up by homonyms such as "who's vs. whose" and "further vs. farther", this infographic is here to help.